For Good: Free eBook guides nonprofits in private-sector partnerships

Consonant Custom Media (CCM), a communications and publishing company headquartered in Sarasota, has released its latest eBook, “Making Private-Sector Partnerships Work for Your Nonprofit,’’ following a successful preview at the Association of Fundraising Professionals’ Planet Philanthropy’ conference in June. 

The digital publication is available at no cost to communications, fundraising and development executives.

“Private sector partnerships are so vital, particularly to small- and medium-sized nonprofits, because they enable those nonprofits to magnify their reach and advance their mission,’’ says Steve Smith, CCM Creative Director and Publisher. “They help make the [nonprofit’s] mission more understandable to more people and help them reach out to additional private-sector partners, donors and patrons.”

Smith notes that modern corporate culture emphasizes the value of social responsibility, and that companies engaged in cross-sector partnerships gain a competitive advantage with consumers, employees and investors. 

“Companies have made a transition from thinking ‘We’ll write a big check once a year’ to really having social responsibility in their DNA. Now they want more of an intimate relationship with the nonprofit,’’ Smith says. “We’re seeing corporations say, ‘Let’s look for ways our employees can participate’.” 

CCM’s eBook cites Nielsen’s 2014 Corporate Social Responsibility survey, stating that 55 percent of global respondents said they would be willing to pay more for goods and services from companies committed to social and environmental giving — up from 45 percent in 2011. The eBook also cites a 2011 Deloitte Volunteer Impact study that found that 61 percent of Millennials consider a company’s commitment to the community when making a job decision.

“There’s a tremendous amount of value to the nonprofit because then if the relationship is being managed well, every one of those employees becomes an ambassador for that nonprofit,” Smith says.

Chapters in Making Private-Sector Partnerships Work for Your Nonprofit include: Corporate Social Responsibility Today, Benefits of the Cross-Sector Partnership, Is Your Organization Ready for Sponsorships?, What Makes a Good Relationship? and How to Pitch to Private-Sector Partners.

Smith created the eBook with assistance from the CCM team, as well as editorial contributions from several nonprofit professionals. Contributors include Veronica Brady, Senior VP for Philanthropy at the Gulf Coast Community Foundation, Tom Waters, President and CEO of Easter Seals Southwest Florida and Martha Wells, Director of Community Engagement at the South Florida Museum.

“Making Private-Sector Partnerships Work for Your Nonprofit” can be ordered by visiting the Consonant Custom Media’s website.